Arjun Bijlani Slams "Baseless" Dating Rumours With Mouni Roy, Calls Out Clickbait Culture

Actor Arjun Bijlani has hit back at reports linking him romantically to close friend Mouni Roy, calling the stories baseless and accusing certain media pages of manufacturing headlines for clicks rather than sticking to facts.

The rumours picked up after the two were spotted meeting recently, with several entertainment pages framing it as the start of a budding romance. Arjun, however, says there's a much simpler explanation: the two have known each other for 18 years, and he was simply there for a friend going through a tough time.

"It's disappointing to see certain pages publish completely baseless stories in the name of entertainment," Arjun said. "Arjun and Mouni have been close friends for over 18 years. Standing by a friend during a difficult phase is called friendship, not a headline to be sensationalized."

He didn't hold back on what he sees as a troubling pattern in celebrity coverage - the tendency to slap a romantic angle on every friendship that involves a man and a woman.

"Two friends meeting after 18 years of friendship doesn't suddenly become a 'dating story,'" he added. "Sometimes, people simply show up for each other, especially when a friend is going through a difficult time. Not every friendship needs a romantic angle for views. A little fact-checking before publishing would go a long way."

Arjun went on to make a broader appeal to entertainment portals and paparazzi accounts, asking them to hold themselves to a higher standard before running with unverified claims.

"Not every interaction between a man and a woman deserves to be twisted into a false narrative," he said. "We request media pages to verify facts before spreading misleading stories that unnecessarily invade people's personal lives and create confusion. Responsible journalism builds credibility. Clickbait doesn't."

The actor's remarks land as a pointed critique of how quickly celebrity friendships get repackaged as romance in the churn for online engagement - and a reminder, in his words, that accuracy shouldn't be the first casualty of a good headline.